Future Generations More Likely To Embrace Swedish Death Cleaning Döstädning To Ease Pressure On Loved Ones After They Die

FUTURE GENERATIONS MORE LIKELY TO EMBRACE SWEDISH DEATH CLEANING ‘DÖSTÄDNING’ TO EASE PRESSURE ON LOVED ONES AFTER THEY DIE

Older Brits are less likely to embrace the new Swedish death cleaning trend Döstädning than younger generations, new research by sliding wardrobe company Spaceslide has found.

A favourite with celebrity chef Nigella Lawson, Döstädning - also known as Swedish Death Cleaning - involves people nearing later life clearing out their unnecessary belongings to make the task easier for their family once they die.

Despite growing interest in the movement, 25% of over 55s said they disliked getting rid of their belongings, with a further 23% refusing to get rid of sentimental items.

In contrast, just 13% of millennials said they didn’t like getting rid of their belongings. It’s a similar pattern across the age groups; overall, just 14% of under 44s dislike clearing out old items on average, compared to 23% of over 44s.

While the current older generation may leave a lifetime’s worth of belongings for their loved ones to sort, the findings show this may not be the case for future generations once they reach later life, especially if the Döstädning trend is set to continue.

London-based decluttering practitioner Sal Walford helps people of all ages sort through their belongings and clear their clutter. She commented:

“The older generation struggle most of the time with their possessions, as they are part of a generation that had to keep hold of things and reuse. While to me this is a wonderful ethic, knowing what to keep and what not to is the key.

My parents downsized considerably and when they did, they gave me a vast amount of boxes of things they had collected for me over the years, ranging from school reports to a set of my own baby teeth!

It’s important to let go of things so that the family doesn’t have to sift through piles of stuff, or debate over whether an item meant the world to someone or not, at what is undoubtedly a difficult time. The new wave of death cleaning is a movement that hopefully, like decluttering, will catch on.”

Google Trends data shows searches around the topic are expected to reach peak interest this month, as an increasing number of people research the movement and put it in practice themselves.

Despite being reluctant to part with the items they already have, over 55s do reduce the amount of physical items they purchase in later life. Brits accumulate the most clutter between the age of 18 and 44, before switching their spending to experiences rather than items themselves.

Speaking of the latest decluttering trend, Will Gough from Spaceslide commented: “With so much of our disposable income spent on physical items in our younger years, and a reluctance amongst the older generations to declutter, our homes are stuffed with decades of memories and items.

After a loved one passes, there is huge pressure on family members to sort through their belongings and get their home in a saleable condition.

Not only does Döstädning alleviate some of this pressure, it gives the homeowner the opportunity to select the items that mean most to them, allowing treasured possessions and fond memories to pass between the generations.”


- Ends -


Media contact: Eva Cheng, +44 (0)191 406 3921, eva.cheng@agy47.com


Notes to Editors:

Data & Sources

Spaceslide conducted a survey of 2,000 British adults on their attitudes to decluttering. UK Search Interest is based on the number of searches around a particular topic, and is scored from 1 to 100, where 100 is peak popularity.

About Spaceslide

Spaceslide are the UK's leading manufacturer and installer of high quality fitted wardrobes and sliding doors. With 40 years' of experience in providing bespoke storage solutions for making the most of the space in your home, Spaceslide have numerous showrooms across the UK.

Visit https://www.spaceslide.co.uk/ to find out more.

Spaceslide's registered office is at Home Decor GB Ltd, Innovation Way, Woodhouse Mill, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S13 9AD (Company No: 06847571).